Two hours. Kate checked her watch for what could have been the hundredth time since sitting down at her desk that morning. She looked to her right and noted the large stack of paperwork that was covering her workspace; the result of a case they had been working on for a week and only solved the night before.
'Why do I insist on showing up early every morning?' she wondered to herself, 'not even McGee is in yet…' The amount of sleep she had had the night before, left her wondering if it was worth going home at all. Staring at her computer screen, Kate didn't notice the man walking towards her until the slamming of more paper brought her out of her trance.
"Morning Gibbs…"
"Kate."
'Is that all I get? Not even a good morning?' she thought, 'but it is Gibbs…' her thoughts wandered back to where she would rather be at that moment – in her nice, warm bed.
"You want a coffee?" Gibbs smiled. 'Wait, Gibbs smiled? And he's asking if I want a coffee. Something is wrong, it has to be' Kate thought again. "Kate? Do you want a coffee or not?"
"Uh, yeah, thanks Gibbs," she replied when she finally remembered how to speak.
A disgruntled McGee entered the room, and much to his dismay, was then ordered to get the coffees for Gibbs. A mumbled sentence along the lines of 'stupid morning coffees…' was heard by Kate, who smiled to herself. She then realised that Gibbs' gesture was not as self-sacrificing as she thought. 'Typical Gibbs. I bet he knew Tim was coming, too.' Again, she looked at her watch, sighing. It was almost 9 o'clock, and she had hours of paperwork ahead of her.
"Uh, Boss?"
"What McGee?" Gibbs looked up from his cell phone – not before bashing it against the corner of the desk – and glares at the probie.
"Y-your coffee?" McGee stutters. 'He still can't handle Gibbs' Kate thinks, the corners of her mouth turning up for a second.
"Thanks, Tim" Kate smiles at him warmly before accepting the coffee from him. She hears Gibbs grunt in agreement from his corner of the bullpen.
"Kate, where's DiNozzo?"
"I don't know, Gibbs. Probably sleeping."
"Well, call him and get him over here!" he half yelled without noticing the elevator door sliding open.
"No need Boss!" Tony entered the room grinning. "Morning, Katie!"
"DiNozzo, what right have you got to be so happy in the morning? And stop calling me Katie!"
"Well, Katie," he emphasised her despised nickname, "it is a beautiful day!" Kate waited for the undoubted chauvinistic comment that would soon come out of his mouth, "and it was an amazing night too!" he exclaimed, before looking over her tired features, "worn out much, Kate?"
'And there it is' Kate thought. "You have to make everything about sex, don't you DiNozzo?"
"I like to think of it as an art," he replied with a wink.
"Of course you do… you are such a pig…"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
Gibbs interrupted their banter by slapping Tony over the head. "Back to work, DiNozzo."
"But you haven't given me anything yet!"
"If you had shown up on time like everyone else, that wouldn't be a problem!" Gibbs growled, walking over to Kate's desk and scooping more than half the papers up to shove at Tony. Kate grinned, catching Tony's eye. He glared in return as he sat at his now trashed desk. 'This is going to be a long day,' he grimaced.